I don't know whether she is going to
be hauled up there, or only dismantled and left to float in the
dock. The governor told the skipper that he thought he might go to
the Mediterranean in December, but that till then he should not be
able to use her. It seemed a rum thing leaving her out there
instead of having her hauled up at Southampton or Gosport, and
specially that he should not have kept two or three of us on board
in charge. But, of course, that was his affair. Mr. Carthew is
rather a difficult gentleman to please, and very changeable-like.
We had all made sure that we were going to race here after winning
the Cup at Ryde; and, indeed, after the race he said as much to the
skipper."

"Has he anyone with him?" Frank asked.

"Only one gentleman, sir. I don't know what his name was."

"What was he like?"

"He was a smallish man, and thin, and didn't wear no hair on his
face."

"Thank you. Here is a sovereign for your trouble.

"That is something, at any rate, George," he went on, as the man
was rowed away. "The whole proceeding is a very strange one, and
you see the description of the man with Carthew exactly answers to
that of the man who found out from the boat's crew that Dr.
Maddison was attending Lady Greendale; and now you see that it is
quite possible that the Phantom is somewhere near, or was somewhere
near yesterday afternoon. Carthew may have hired a foreign crew,
and sailed in her a couple of days after her own crew came over; or
he may have hired another craft either abroad or here. At any rate,
there is something to do. I will go up to town by the midday train,
and then down to Dover, and cross to Ostend tonight."

"Begging your pardon, Major, could not you telegraph to the harbour
master at Ostend, asking if the Phantom is there?"

"I might do that, George, but if I go over there I may pick up some
clue. I may find out what hotel he stopped at after the crew had
left, and if so, whether he crossed to England or left by a train
for France. There is no saying what information I may light on. You
stay on board here. You can be of no use to me on the journey, and
may be of use here. I will telegraph to you from Ostend. Possibly I
may want the yacht to sail at once to Dover to meet me there, or
you may have to go up to town to do something for me.

"Now I must go down and tell Lady Greendale as much as is
necessary. It will, of course, be the best thing for her to go up
to town with me, but if